Questions and Answers
Probe Needs New Boots
Q. My car is a 1993 Ford Probe, automatic. A repairman said that my CV joint is leaking oil and will cause serious damage if it is not repaired. He mentioned that this is the cause of the very faint sound I am hearing when turning my car. But I hear the sound anytime I turn and not just when I accelerate in a turn. Could it be something other than the CV making the sound? If the CV is leaking oil do I need to fix the inner, outer, or both, or neither?
Thank you,
BradA. He speaks the truth Brad. If you hear a clicking type noise when you make a turn, and the boots are torn and leaking grease, the boots do need to be replaced. I would recommend replacing the inner and outer boots at the same time. If one is gone, the other is usually not far behind.
Now if the boots have been leaking quite a while and the noise is quite loud, the CV joint itself is quite probably bad as well. Now a through cleaning and packing with fresh grease may quiet it down, but more often than not it doesn't meaning the joint will have to be replaced.
Another option besides replacing the boots is replacing the whole axle with a rebuilt axle. I have found the price of installing a rebuilt axle is comparable to just replacing the boots alone and you get new CV boots and joints. In addition, if you plan on keeping the car for a while, this may be the better way to go.
Additional Information provided courtesy of AllDATA
